Typhoon Haiyan ‘Severe As I’ve Seen,’ Says Aid Veteran

Food aid from USAID arrived at the airport in Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines, following the recent super typhoon on Nov. 19.

MANILA—Even before Typhoon Haiyan unleash her fury on the Philippines starting at dawn on Nov. 8, the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, had already placed a disaster response team in Tacloban, a city that later proved to be among the hardest-hit and is now the focus of international relief efforts.

The team was tasked with quickly assessing the damage and needs of survivors after the storm passed. As of Nov. 22, it had claimed an estimated 4,919 lives and displaced more than 4 million people, according to government figures.

USAID

Al Dwyer, a 15-year veteran of humanitarian work, is leading USAIDs disaster response team in the Philippines.

Al Dwyer, a 15-year veteran of humanitarian work, is leading USAID’s disaster response team, which was the first international aid mission to provide relief to typhoon-stricken areas.

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The Philippines is one of the most hazard-prone countries in the world, and Mr. Dwyer said he regularly comes to the Philippines to respond to one disaster or another. He was in the southern region of Mindanao after tropical storm Washi caused catastrophic floods in 2011 and then again in December 2012, when Typhoon Bopha claimed more than 1,100 lives and displaced nearly one million people.

Mr. Dwyer told the Wall Street Journal that what happened in Tacloban, “is as severe as anything I’ve ever seen,” but he also said the response has been good, that the momentum is moving forward and shared why he is optimistic for the future.

WSJ: Were enough preparations made before Haiyan made landfall?

Mr. Dwyer: I know for a fact that the government put out an alert about this storm. I think they (government agencies) were very proactive in informing the population. I know a lot of people were indeed evacuated. That’s on record. But we had a storm surge down there over 35, 40 feet. I mean, this is an act of God. Look at Japan, a developed nation. You do what you can to prepare but sometimes…. Act of God.

WSJ: The United Nations says the Philippines has seen 13 disasters since September, including Haiyan. Are we now seeing donor fatigue?

Mr. Dwyer: This year has been the worst year for typhoons in the Pacific since 1993. Right now, there have been 29 events. But for the Philippines, particularly that area affected, you had a smaller typhoon that came through, the Bohol earthquake has affected the region. So the Philippines has been very busy responding to medium-sized disasters up to this point. You asked about donor fatigue, I’d just say go down there and take a look around. You have all the United States Department of Defense assets. I have a team of 20 disaster assistance response team members. We’ve put forth $47 million. If you talk to the U.N., there is well over $200 million. Fatigue? I don’t see it yet here. We’re fully engaged. We’re here to do what we can.

WSJ: When do you expect the affected areas to recover from this disaster?

Mr. Dwyer: Samar and Leyte? Having seen this, it may take a couple of years for full recovery. I’ve seen this in other countries. It is a long process, and let’s not kid ourselves that next month things are gonna be back to normal. This is a rebuilding process. The good news is, though, that it seems there’s a lot of assets coming in, especially with the NGOs [non-governmental organizations], the government and the U.N. side. Aceh took three years after the tsunami before it got back to normal. We all have to be realistic about the damage down there.

WSJ: How do you deal with this kind of situation, with peoples’ despair?

Mr. Dwyer: Boy, I tell you, that’s the hardest part of the job. I’ve worked disaster responses in over 100 countries over my career. When you get down on the ground and meet the people that are affected, the children. The good news is what I’ve seen in Tacloban now is a real spark of hope. There is a lot of self-recovery going on. Filipinos are very creative, proactive. People down there are helping themselves, which is good to see, which is assisting the international effort. People are cleaning up their homes. People are trying to bring back some semblance of normalcy. I’ve been coming in and out of here for 10 years, you know, I’m real optimistic.

WSJ: Have you every cried over the disasters that you’ve seen?

Mr. Dwyer: I’ve got a heart like everybody else. I got three boys of my own. And certainly, again, my condolences, but there’s a job to be done. We need to work through that. I think everybody is pulling together. And the solution to that is to get some normalcy back down there. Let’s get assistance to those who need it so we can change their situation.

WSJ: USAID has committed $47 million, how much more is needed to help those affected areas?

Mr. Dwyer: Right now the government, the U.N. and my team are doing a joint assessment. We expect the results of those assessments to be ready on the 25h [of November]. At that point, we will know what the actual needs are. When that comes out, we’ll be able to finish our planning. USAID has been here for a number of years and we gonna be here for a number of years in the future. The partnership is strong.

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Indonesia Real Time provides analysis and insight into the region, which includes Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei. Contact the editors at SEAsia@wsj.com.

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